The Minders
It’s A Bright Guilty World
Future Farmer Recordings

How does one introduce a band like The Minders? Do you go through the past 10 years of their history, or do you just begin where they’ve left off? Let’s do a little of both. The Minders began as collaboration between Martyn Leaper and Elephant6 co-founder/Apples in Stereo member, Robert Schneider, in the mid-90s. From there The Minders released numerous EPs and singles to much acclaim. Although the band has gone through a few band members and location changes since their inception, Martyn Leaper has been able to keep The Minders’ sound intact.

It’s a Bright Guilty World begins with a nice airy, acoustic introduction called “There Goes My Formula!” It’s simple and catchy, but so short you might have to listen to it again to catch it. After that, the record flows right into the clean, keyboard-laced pop that The Minders are known for. Songs like “Don’t Stop” and “Accidental Joy” show the poppier side of the spectrum, while a fuzz backed-song like “In The Middle Of Your Love” and “Saturday Morning” showcase their softer songwriting ability.

It’s hard to find something bad to say about The Minders. The only thing that really comes to mind is that it has been done before. It isn’t too much different than their other releases, but that’s exactly why they are still loved. The Minders continue the retro-pop sound that bands in the Elephant6 Collective brought to life out of the grunge-era early nineties.

After three previous LPs, they are still continuing to refine and hone their sound. It’s so near perfect that I’d be eager to see what they could possibly do to make it any better. This nostalgia for the past, mixed with another set of incredibly catchy songs, make this a release that deserves a listen or two.

MP3s
Accidental Joy
Don’t Stop

Website
The Minders official website